^[1]KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN: Lailuma was afraid. She had never been so afraid before. Her tongue clung to her clenched teeth. She stood up and drank some water. After drinking, for a moment she felt more confident about her decision. But a minute later she felt discouraged again. Many eyes were fixed on the front door of her house, waiting for her to come out.

Lailuma began to think. She was 45 years old and she had seven children. The eldest had a degree in literature and worked as a teacher in the village school. Her second child was studying medicine in Kandahar University. The other five were still in high school or junior high. Lailuma had never gone to school herself but she had learned the Holy Qu’ran at the mosque. She always encouraged her children to study hard, even though this would always get her into fights with her husband.

During the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, Lailuma’s husband took to the mountains, where he joined the mujahidin resistance. He would hide in the daytime and come out at night to attack the foreign soldiers. It was in this time that he found out that Lailuma was telling the children to study. He became angry and tore apart their books and notebooks. He screamed: “Do not read these books! You will become communists and unbelievers!”

Later Lailuma tried to reason with her husband. She made tea and brought it to her husband. While he was drinking, she asked him about the fighting, the ambushes, and the rifles. She said, “Oh father of Jawad, do not become angry so fast. You sure don’t want our children to become ignorant people. Let them learn their lessons. Let them study Math, Chemistry, Dari, Pashto, and the Holy Qu’ran. The school is not for infidels.” Lailuma’s husband looked at her seriously and said: “You take care. If they become communists I will kill you.” Lailula fixed the broken books and from that day she always tried to hide the books every time her husband came around.

Someone knocked on the door and Lailuma awoke from her daydreaming about the past. A young girl came into the house and said: “Bibi Lailuma, it’s your turn to speak. If you can get the district people to vote, the Election Committee will then count the ballots.” Lailuma’s fears turned to courage and she walked outside.